For working adults, April is tax season. For high school seniors, April is college decision season.

By now, most seniors who applied to colleges and universities nationwide have received thick and thin envelopes from their “safeties” and dream schools. One of those kids is Diego, a 17-year-old senior from Southgate. He has the unenviable task of deciding between Ivy League universities and the best California has to offer. And money is not an issue since he just was awarded the coveted Gates Millennium Scholarship. Hmmm… mild winters or freezing winters?

When it comes to admissions, we focus most on the competitive, highly selective schools. One of those is UCLA. In the past year, many have decried the diversity crisis at UCLA where 103 African American students enrolled in a freshman class of approximately 4,800 students. As a result of pressure from alumni, community groups and student groups, UCLA implemented a holistic admissions process in line with UC Berkeley’s model.

The university announced in September that it was making a major shift in the way it accepted freshmen, switching to a more “holistic” approach in which all available information about a student could be considered at the same time by admissions readers. Previously, UCLA applicants’ files were divided by academic and personal areas and read by separate reviewers.

UCLA officials said the change, which takes effect for the fall entering class, would be fairer to all applicants, helping readers see them and their achievements in context. And it would make admission to UCLA more like that of other elite schools, including UC Berkeley and much of the Ivy League. (link to LA Times story on the process)

Seems like the holistic process was a good way to go. The “numbers” for freshman fall 2007 admits are out (link to UCLA press release) and they’re better than last year since more African American and Chicano/Latino students were admitted. Now, UCLA has to focus on recruiting those who were admitted through admit days in the next few weeks. Hopefully, UCLA’s loss against Florida won’t affect their decision.

To any high school seniors trying to make decisions before the May 1st deadline, good luck! I’m sure your decision isn’t as tough as Diego’s decision.

Admission figures after the jump.
These figures reflect initial data from March 26, 2007 and only include California residents.

African American: 392 or 3.4% (up from 249 or 2.1% in 2006)
Asian American: 4,956 or 43.1 (down from 5,390 or 45.6% in 2006)
Chicano/Latino: 1,470 or 12.8% (up from 1,403 or 11.9% in 2006)
Native American: 44 or 0.4% (51 admitted in 2006, but level remained consistent)
White: 3,791 or 33% (up slightly from 3,791 or 32.1% in 2006)

2 responses to College admission season, UCLA admits more African American students

Im glad that UCLA had changed up their admission policies. I truly enjoyed my experience there and it would be great to extend the same opportunity to under-represented students. Oh yeah, I too received the Gates Millenium scholarship and its the best possible scholarship a student can ever get (I guess I’m bias). Not only will it pay for your undergraduate years it will also pay for graduate school if you choose to continue. So go tell your sons/daughters to apply for it.

I’m glad to see the holistic admissions process worked to increase admission of underrepresented minorities at UCLA, and I’m even prouder to see that among those 1,470 Chicano/Latino students, more than twenty are from the city of South Gate.